British fighters prepare for high-stakes air combat

The Royal Air Force is gearing up for Exercise STORM WARRIOR 25-1, a large-scale combat air training event taking place from 9 to 24 July 2025.

Centred at RAF Coningsby, the exercise is a key step in developing the next generation of UK combat air leaders, especially those progressing through the Typhoon and Lightning Qualified Weapons Instructor (QWI) courses.

STORM WARRIOR is the platform-level assessment that precedes the wider, more integrated Exercise COBRA WARRIOR, the RAF’s premier multinational air exercise. The upcoming iteration will involve up to 54 aircraft operating in complex, mixed formations. Assets will include fast jets, ISR platforms, air-to-air refuelling, and fixed- and rotary-wing mobility aircraft, all conducting operations from multiple airfields across the UK.

The exercise is jointly designed by RAF personnel and Inzpire’s experienced “White Force” team, who bring deep operational backgrounds across air, ISR, and multi-domain operations.

Their mission is to translate real-world combat scenarios—including insights from the war in Ukraine—into high-fidelity missions that challenge and develop participants’ tactical decision-making and leadership.

This year’s STORM WARRIOR features 12 live missions and four synthetic scenarios, incorporating cruise missile defence and other emerging threat profiles.

The training will test candidates’ ability to plan, brief, execute, and debrief missions in a contested environment. Lessons learned here directly prepare candidates for the broader coalition integration of COBRA WARRIOR.